[Mononokay]

This was a great read—Ohanian's essays are always, really.

I can't say the executive coach bit makes sense to me, though. Athletes play a single, relatively unchanging game. Business, especially in the tech world, is anything but stable. There's no set of rules like there is in atheletics. Is he effectively referring to just a mentor?

[karmajunkie]

Just my point of view, but while the two roles overlap, it feels like there's a difference in how you work with them. A mentor is someone you can bring your problems to and they suggest paths forward, navigating challenges based on their experience. A coach looks at what you're doing and proactively suggests changes you may not have brought to them. The two complement each other but I don't think they're quite the same.

[hinkley]

Every athlete is different (even from themselves over time), and every opponent has qualities that inform your strategies. I don’t think the two are that divorced.

[Mononokay]

Fair enough.